Described are methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for multi-authoring within a benefits content management the system. Relationships are defined between content elements of the benefits content system. A first request is received to change a first content element of the benefits content system. Other content elements of the benefits content system having a relationship to the first content element are identified. A user interface is provided on a computing device to enable a user associated with the first request to control access by other users attempting to change one or more of the other content elements having a relationship to the first element while the user associated with the first request is changing the first content element.
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1. A computerized method for multi-user authoring within a benefits content system managing information describing at least one employee benefit program of an employment program, the method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device, a first request from a first user to change a first content element of the benefits content system, the first content element including information describing at least one employee benefit program of the employment program;
based on the first request, identifying, by the computing device, a plurality of additional content elements related to the first content element by the subject matter of the information describing the employee benefit program of the employment program;
providing to the first user, by the computing device, a user interface on a display of the computing device, the user interface including a control configurable by the first user to select, for each additional content element of the plurality of additional content elements, a notification type provided to a second user attempting to access the respective additional content element; and
marking, by the computing device, a first additional content element with a first notification type selected by the first user and a second additional content element with a second notification type selected by the first user, wherein the first notification type is different than the second notification type.
11. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a machine readable storage device, for multi-user authoring within a benefits content system managing information describing at least one employee benefit program of an employment program, the computer program product including instructions being operable to cause data processing apparatus to:
receive a first request from a first user to change a first content element of the benefits content system, the first content element including information describing at least one employee benefit program of the employment program;
based on the first request, identify a plurality of additional content elements related to the first content element by the subject matter of the information describing the employee benefit program of the employment program;
provide to the first user a user interface on a display of a computing device executing the computer program product, the user interface including a control configurable by the first user to select, for the each additional content element of the plurality of additional content elements, a notification type provided to a second user attempting to access the respective additional content element; and
mark a first additional content element with a first notification type selected by the first user and a second additional content element with a second notification type selected by the first user, wherein the first notification type is different than the second notification type.
12. A system for multi-user authoring within a benefits content system managing information describing at least one employee benefit program of an employment program, the system comprising a computing device configured to:
receive a first request from a first user to change a first content element of the benefits content system, the first content element including information describing at least one employee benefit program of the employment program;
based on the first request, identify a plurality of additional content elements related to the first content element by the subject matter of the information describing the employee benefit program of the employment program;
determine whether the first user would like to check out at least one additional content element of the plurality of additional content elements from the benefits content system;
provide to the first user a user interface on a display of the computing device, the user interface including a control configurable by the first user to select, for each additional content element of the plurality of additional content elements, a notification type provided to a second user attempting to access the respective additional content element; and
mark a first additional content element with a first notification type selected by the first user and a second additional content element with a second notification type selected by the first user, wherein the first notification type is different than the second notification type.
2. The method of
3. The method of
receiving, by the computing device, a second request from the second user to change at least one additional content element of the plurality of additional content elements; and
providing to the second user, by the computing device, a message displaying the notification type for the at least one additional content element.
4. The method of
receiving, by the computing device, a second request from the second user to change at least one additional content element of the plurality of additional content elements; and
providing to the second user, by the computing device, a message indicating that the at least one additional content element is locked and that the second user can not change the at least one additional content element.
5. The method of
receiving, by the computing device, a second request from the second user to change at least one additional content element of the plurality of additional content elements; and
providing to the second user, by the computing device, a message indicating that the at least one additional content element is checked out and that the second user can not change the at least one additional content element.
6. The method of
receiving, by the computing device, a second request from the second user to change at least one additional content element of the plurality of additional content elements; and
providing to the second user, by the computing device, a message warning that the first content element is being changed.
7. The method of
8. The method of
9. The method of
10. The method of
13. The computer program product of
14. The computer program product of
receive a second request from the second user to change at least one additional content element of the plurality of additional content elements; and
provide to the second user a message displaying the notification type for the at least one additional content element.
15. The computer program product of
receive a second request from the second user to change at least one additional content element of the plurality of additional content elements; and
provide to the second user a message indicating that the at least one additional content element is locked and that the second user can not change the at least one additional content element.
16. The computer program product of
receive a second request from the second user to change at least one additional content element of the plurality of additional content elements; and
provide to the second user a message indicating that the at least one additional content element is checked out and that the second user can not change the at least one additional content element.
17. The computer program product of
receive a second request from the second user to change at least one additional content element of the plurality of additional content elements; and
provide to the second user a message warning that the first content element is being changed.
18. The system of
19. The system of
receive a second request from the second user to change at least one additional content element of the plurality of additional content elements; and provide to the second user a message displaying the notification type for the at least one additional content element.
20. The system of
receive a second request from the second user to change at least one additional content element of the plurality of additional content elements; and
provide to the second user a message indicating that the at least one additional content element is locked and that the second user can not change the at least one additional content element.
21. The system of
receive a second request from the second user to change at least one additional content element of the plurality of additional content elements; and
provide to the second user a message indicating that the at least one additional content element is checked out and that the second user can not change the at least one additional content element.
22. The system of
receive a second request from the second user to change at least one additional content element of the plurality of additional content elements; and
provide to the second user a message warning that the first content element is being changed.
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The present invention relates to multi-authoring within a benefits content management the system.
Managing the human resources (HR) and benefits functions of an organization (e.g., a corporation) can be a daunting task. Different benefits plans and policies that the organization offers are stored in different places. Some may be stored electronically and others mechanically. Different departments can be responsible for different benefits, so that an employee has to make several inquiries to different people to obtain answers. To assist an organization, vendors have developed automated software products to centralize and automate the management of the organization's benefits programs. For example, systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,590,037, 5,600,554, 6,505,183, 6,640,216, and 6,633,859 and U.S. Patent Published Application Nos. 2002/0022982, 2002/0049617, 2002/0069077, 2002/0099659, 2002/0103680, and 2003/0101091.
For many organizations, an investment in new and unknown technology is unappealing. These organizations want to focus on what they do best and outsource human resources management to service providers specializing in that area. One survey result indicated that 72 percent of large companies surveyed outsourced at least one HR/benefits function. Human resource outsourcing (HRO) providers span the spectrum of the scope of services they provide. Some provide information technology (IT) services for the HR function, such as IT strategy, data centers, development of in-house applications, voice and data networks, and help desks. Others provide call centers for employees. Others provide transactional services, such as training and development, benefits record keeping, accounts receivable, tax services, compensation and payroll, and storeroom/warehouse administration. Others provide all of these services plus other top-level and strategic planning, such as information management, budget forecasting, risk management, and material resource planning (MRP). These service providers provide full service benefits programs outsourcing (BPO). According to another survey, in 2003, the growth in the global full service HRO market was 24%, with annualized revenues of 1.6 billion dollars (US). The amount of employees serviced by full service HRO providers was 2.6 million employees. The average total contract value for transactions for the reported HRO contracts was 215 million dollars.
There are several service providers specializing in providing the management of benefits programs and who are providing full service to these organizations. One example is Fidelity Investments of Boston, Mass. In being a full-service benefits outsourcer, Fidelity Investments provides a Web-based user interface called netBenefitss™ to assist an employer with delivery of the employer's benefits programs to its employees. The netBenefits™ user interface allows a plan participant (e.g., employee) to access one or more benefits programs (e.g., a 401(k) plan) and obtain self-help to answer questions about the benefits programs (e.g., balance of a 401 (k) plan, loan availability, and loan requirements, etc.) and self-service to perform certain transactions associated with the benefits programs (e.g., transfer funds, loan initiation, etc.).
The description describes methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for a benefits content management system. In general, in one aspect there is a computerized method for multi-user authoring within a benefits content system. The method includes defining relationships between content elements of the benefits content system and receiving a first request to change a first content element of the benefits content system. The method also includes identifying other content elements of the benefits content system having a relationship to the first content element and providing a user interface on a computing device to enable a user associated with the first request to control access by other users attempting to change one or more of the other content elements having a relationship to the first element while the user associated with the first request is changing the first content element.
In other examples, the aspect can include one or more of the following features. A user interface is provided on a computing device to enable a user associated with the first request, (i) to check out one or more of the other content elements having a relationship to the first element, or (ii) to select a notification type to be provided to other users attempting to change one or more of the other content elements having a relationship to the first element. The notification type can include a lock status that prevents another user from entering a change or a warn status that allows another user to enter a change and indicates that the first content element is being changed. A second request is received to change a second content element having a relationship to the first content element. Some examples can provide to a user associated with the second request a first message indicating that changing the second content element is prohibited if the user associated with the first request has checked out the second content element or has selected a notification type of lock for the second content element. Some examples can provide to a user associated with the second request a second message indicating that the first content element is being modified if the user associated with the first request has not checked out the second content element or has not selected a notification type of lock for the second content element.
Some examples identify other content elements of the benefits content system having a relationship to the second content element, and can provide a user interface on a computing device to enable the user associated with the second request, (i) to check out one or more of the other content elements having a relationship to the second content element, or (ii) to select a notification type to be provided to other users attempting to change one or more of the other content elements having a relationship to the second content element. Some examples can define a relationship between the first content element and a variable that is used by the first content element. Some examples can define a relationship between the first content element and a second content element that has shared content with the first content element.
Some examples employ a source control feature that can be generating an audit trail, releasing associations, including change history to reverse changes, or any combination thereof. Some examples allow access to a desired content element of the benefits content system based on a characteristic of a user attempting to access the desired content element. The characteristic of the user attempting to access the desired content element can include an employer associated with that user, an employee group associated with that user, a user identification group associated with that user or any combination thereof.
Some examples provide a user interface to enable an administrator to select the characteristic used to determine whether access is allowed. Some examples allow access to a desired content element of the benefits content system based on a characteristic of the desired content element. The characteristic of the desired content element can include a subject associated with that desired content element, a plan associated with that desired content element, a policy associated with that desired content element, a company associated with that desired content element, an indicator associated with that desired content element, or any combination thereof, wherein the indicator indicates whether a particular user is allowed access. Some examples provide a user interface to enable an administrator to select the characteristic used to determine whether access is allowed.
Some examples instantiate a local database associated with the user making the first request, and employ a work flow process to automatically move the changed first content element from the local database to a common database after the change is completed. Some examples indicate the change is completed by changing a status indicator in the work flow process. Some examples enable an administrator to view the status indicator and to modify priorities of moves scheduled in a queue. Some examples employ the work flow process to automatically move from the local database to the common database, after the change is completed, where any of the other content elements has a relationship to the first content element that were checked out. Some examples employ the work flow process to automatically unlock, after the change is completed, any of the other content elements with a relationship to the first content element that were locked in the common database.
In another aspect there is a computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, for multi-user authoring within a benefits content system. The computer program product includes instructions being operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform any of the processes described above. In another aspect there is a system for multi-user authoring within a benefits content system. The system is comprised of a computing device configured to perform any of the processes described above.
Implementations can realize one or more of the following advantages. As outsourcing continues to grow and more organizations request services from a human resources benefits outsourcer, the benefits content management system is scalable and can easily handle the increase in volume of both viewing content and changing content. The system provides processes to allow multiple-user authoring, allow authors to make decisions about controlling access to related content, control viewing at many different granularities, control the quality of changes to the content while also allowing the change process to progress when certain faults can be tolerated, and indicate pending changes to content being viewed. The system combines many available and existing the systems together to provide the features described herein, and some of those features are a result of having to join different the systems together.
The system can coordinate changes across multiple authors to maintain content consistency, eliminate record locking issues, and prevent authors from overwriting each other's work. The system can control access to changes based on a variety of parameters, keeping changes to content close to the users who own the content. The authoring tools security (e.g., access control) settings carry over into the runtime environment, where users of different experience levels can have different access rights. The system ties the transfer process to a workflow process so that efficiencies can be realized through a systematic schedule of object transfers. The system also links a pending change indication process to the workflow process so that the system can automatically generate a pending change indicator on viewed content when a change request is pending and automatically remove that indicator when a change request is closed. The system also links a quality control process to the workflow process so that automatic notifications can be sent to the applicable users when a change request changes status, eliminating the need for a user to query the system regarding the current status. The quality control process also enables users to decouple failed content, so that other related content changes are not held up, and to allow content with minor problems to move to production without losing an indication that a problem still needs to be addressed.
The system can control the granularity of the content viewed based on the role of the user viewing the content, automatically providing more or less content as the situation requires. Out of the hundreds of benefits programs an outsourcer might manage, the system enables the outsourcer to associate individual employees with specific benefits programs. This also allows multiple plans from the same plan type to be designated as actively enrolled in or available to a single participant. The system also enables sharing of benefits program content across multiple programs to realize efficiencies of scale. One implementation of the invention may provide all of the above advantages.
The details of one or more examples are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Further features, aspects, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.
1. Overview
This detailed description includes headings to several sections. This first section presents an overview that highlights components included in a benefits content management system. The overview also provides some exemplary roles of different users of the system. The second section of the description describes processes for viewing content in the benefits content management system. These processes highlight the filtering of content based on a user identity and/or role. The third section of the description describes processes for changing content in the benefits content management system. These processes highlight the allowance of multiple authors changing the content, the indication of pending changes to users of the content, and the quality control used to process changes.
A Benefits Content Management System
A benefits program refers to a plan (e.g., health/dental/life/disability insurance benefit plan, 401(k) retirement plan), a policy (e.g., policy manual on sexual harassment in the workplace), an event (e.g., having a baby or getting married), etc. The content of a benefits program refers to all of the information used to describe that benefits program. For example, a health insurance benefit plan may apply to a child of an employee that is over 18 as long as the child is registered as a full-time student. The information describing whether such coverage is allowed and the requirements of such coverage constitutes a portion of the content of this health benefit program. The particular sentence or paragraph describing this particular benefit (i.e., coverage of a child over 18) can be referred to as a content element, as this sentence or paragraph description is a portion of all of the content that makes up the complete description of the health insurance benefit. The content element can include both a template, shared across benefits programs and variables that may also be shared across benefits programs or be specific to a single benefit program. The variables can be used to generate content dynamically, and such variables also can be considered part of the content.
Generally, the benefits guide 103 manages all of the content for a service provider that provides the service of managing content of benefits programs for one or more organizations. The service provider enables employees of an organization to access content related to benefits programs the organization offers, providing access to answers about the benefits programs. The service provider also maintains the accuracy of the data, changing the content when necessary, and maintains the technology (e.g., the system 100) required to provide these services. The content management module 103a manages the interface between users of the benefits guide and the repository 103b in which the content is stored. The repository 103b serves as the centralized storage for all of the content and is used to store and access the content of the benefits programs.
Connected to the exemplary repository 103b shown in
The role of user 121 is customer support services (CSS). The CSS user 121 is, for example, a telephone representative that talks to a participant 112b over a telephone network 123 (e.g., public switched telephone network (PSTN)). The CSS user 121 is generally an employee of the service provider and a viewer of the content of one or more benefits programs stored in the repository 103b. The CSS user 121 views the content to answer questions of a participant 1112b. There can be multiple levels of CSS users, for example a junior CSS user and a senior CSS user. These levels can limit how the CSS user interacts with other users and with the system 100. The CSS user 121 can access the content management module 103a using a front-end application 125 that executes locally on a computer 128 associated with the CSS user 121. For example, the local application 125 can be referred to as a benefits workstation. The benefits workstation application 125 provides a user interface to enable the CSS user 121 to enter data about the participant (e.g., social security number) and to display the content returned from the content management module 103a based on the entered information. The benefits workstation application 125 may also automatically receive participant context information (e.g., social security number) from a voice response system (VRS) (not shown) and pass that information to the content management module 103a to display appropriate content. In one example, the benefits workstation application 125 is a portal application and communicates with the content management module 103a using application communication technologies (e.g., a client/server paradigm or a Web-based client paradigm). If the CSS user 121 notices an error in content (e.g., a typographical error) while answering a question for a participant, the CSS user 121 can notify another user to make a change. For example, the CSS user 121 can notify a service delivery specialist (SDS) user 131.
The SDS user 131 is generally an employee of the service provider and a viewer of the content of one or more benefits programs stored in the repository 103b. The SDS user 131 views the content to verify the errors found by the CSS user 121. The SDS user 131 can access the content management module 103a using the benefits workstation application 125 that executes locally on a computer 134 associated with the SDS user 131. In some examples, the SDS user 131 can initiate a request to change a portion of the content. The system 100 includes or communicates with a workflow process (e.g., 218,
The CSM user 134 is generally an employee of the service provider and a viewer of the content of one or more benefits programs stored in the repository 103b. The CSM user 134 may view the content by accessing through the benefits workstation application 125 or by accessing the content management module 103a directly, in which case the module 103a applies security restrictions to limit access to particular benefits programs or subsets of content elements. The CSM user 134 views the content to verify that the content is accurate according to a client 138. The client 138 is a representative of an organization (e.g., an employer) to which the service provider provides the content management services. The CSM user 134 can initiate a request to change a portion of the content and view and/or change the status of pending change requests in the workflow process. Because the CSM user 134 has a direct relationship with the client 138, the CSM user 134 typically is involved in the approval process of a change request for content associated with that user 138.
The roles of users 141a and 141b are as content authors, generally referred to as the authors 141. The authors 141 are generally employees of the service provider. The authors 141 have direct access to the content management module 103a so that they can generate and maintain the content of the benefits programs stored in the repository 103b. The authors 141 also generate and maintain templates that can include both static content and logic to generate dynamic content. The authors 141 also generate and maintain logic to incorporate business rules that can trigger specific content based on client, participant, or benefits program data (e.g., variables).
The role of user 144 is a systems support and development (SSD) user. The SSD user 144 is generally an employee of the service provider. The SSD user 144 maintains the technology of the system 100. In other words, the SSD user 144 configures, tests, debugs, and upgrades the hardware and software components of the system 100. The SSD user 144 can also generate applications needed to integrate the different components, some of which can be off-the-shelf components of the system 100. The SSD user 144 may also perform administrative functions on the system (e.g. setting security access).
The modules 203, 206, 209, and 212 interact with a knowledge base module 215 and a workflow process 218. The knowledge module 215 models the content and enables the use of templates to generate content dynamically using organizational variables. The knowledge module 215 can be implemented, using for example, one or more of the Authoria Advisor Series products, such as Employee Advisor and/or Manager Advisor, manufactured by Authoria, Inc. of Waltham, Mass. or one or more of the Vignette suite of products, manufactured by Vignette Corporation of Austin, Tex. The workflow process 218 tracks changes to the content. The system 100 shows the use of a workflow process that is external to the content management module 103a and can be used for other enterprise workflows, in addition to tracking the changes to content. The logical view is intended to show the functionality of the content management module 103a and the physical boundaries of the implementation can be different from the logical boundaries shown in the exemplary the system 100. In some examples, a single server and/or a single application implement all of the modules 203, 206, 209, and 212. In other examples, two or more servers and/or applications implement the modules 203, 206, 209, and 212, without regard to the logical boundaries shown in
Irrespective of the content management tools used to implement the system 100 (e.g., a combination of products from vendors and custom written software modules written by in-house developers), the content of the system 100 is modeled in a fashion to implement the processes described herein.
A content element is a portion of the content and can be, for example, a sentence, a paragraph, a section of multiple paragraphs, a variable, or some combination of these. The system 100 can generate a content element using a template. The following examples describe content elements describing the eligibility of dependents and are used in conjunction with
Eligibility of a Dependent
If your dependent is under the age of 18, your dependent is eligible under your health_plan_name health insurance.
IF dependent_eligibility_over—18=TRUE,
THEN INCLUDE CE2
This exemplary template includes the variable health_plan_name, the value for which is inserted when the system 100 generates this content element for viewing. The value for the variable health_plan_name varies by plan. The value for the variable health_plan_name, and any other variables may be retrieved from the centralized content 106e or from one of the record keeping system stores 106a, 106b, 106c, or 106d. Variable values stored in the record keeping system stores may also be used for record keeping and benefits program transactions. For the health plan 303, the value of the variable health_plan_name is Blue Cross PPO. The exemplary template above is content element CE1, so the variable health_plan_name is content element CE3 and the association between the template and the variable for this plan is the relationship R2. The relationship R2 can be implemented using, for example, a database table. In this example, there can be one or more rows in a table for the health plan 303 identifying that the content element CE1 is the template above and the associated value for the variable health_plan_name is Blue Cross PPO. When a variable is used, the content element of the variable (e.g., CE3) can also have a relationship (not shown) to a question content element that facilitates content entry by content authors 141. A question content element is a piece of content that describes what the variable represents, typically in the form of a question. For the CE3 example, the question content element can be a string of text as follows: WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE HEALTH PLAN? The system 100 uses these questions when obtaining values for these variables from a user of the system 100 who enters them, such as the content author 141a or the CSM user 134.
The CE1 exemplary template above also includes the variable dependent_eligibility_over—18, the value for which is used by the system 100 to determine whether the IF condition is met. The value for the variable dependent_eligibility_over—18 varies by plan. For the health plan 303, the value of the variable dependent_eligibility_over—18 is TRUE. The exemplary template above is content element CE1, so the variable dependent_eligibility_over—18 is content element CE4 and the association between the template and the variable for this plan is the relationship R3. The relationship R3 can be implemented using, for example, the same database table as R2. Similar to above, the content element of the variable CE4 can also have a relationship (not shown) to a question content element as follows: DOES THIS HEALTH PLAN ALLOW DEPENDENT COVERAGE FOR A DEPENDENT OVER THE AGE OF 18?
If the conditional statement of the CE1 exemplary template is TRUE, then the system 100 includes the content element CE2 when generating the content for viewing. The following is an exemplary template for the content element CE2 describing the eligibility of a child over 18.
Eligibility for a dependent over the age of 18
If your dependent is over the age of 18 and under the age of max_age_dependent_student, your dependent is eligible under your health insurance if that dependent is a full-time student.
The CE2 exemplary template includes a variable max_age_dependent_student, the value for which is inserted when the system 100 generates this content element for viewing. The value for the variable max_age_dependent_student can vary by plan. For the health plan 303, the value of the variable max_age dependent_student is 25. The variable max_age dependent_student is content element CE5 and the association between the template and the variable for this plan is the relationship R4. The relationship R4 can be implemented using, for example, the same relationship database table. Table 1A illustrates an exemplary database table; Table 1B illustrates an exemplary database table that relates to Table 1A via a relationship R4.
TABLE 1A
Plan
Field
Primary/Foreign
Field Name
Type
Key
Description
Plan ID
Number
<pk>
Plan key
Client-
Number
<fk>
Practice ID
Plan Name
VarChar
Plan name
Plan
VarChar
Description of the plan
Overview
Plan Start
Date
Date when the plan should
Date
first be viewable by CSS
(121)
Plan End
Date
Date beyond which the
Date
plan should not be
viewable by CSS (121)
Plan Role
VarChar
User roles (e.g., CSS 121)
that can view this plan
TABLE 1B
Plan Variable
Field
Primary/Foreign
Field Name
Type
Key
Description
Variable ID
Number
<pk>
Variable key
Plan ID
Number
<fk>
Relationship R4
Variable
VarChar
Variable Name
Name
Variable
VarChar
Variable Value
Value
Start Date
Date
Date when the value of
this variable is first
effective for the plan.
End Date
Date
Date beyond which the
variable value is no longer
effective for the plan
2. Viewing Content
The system 100 uses these stored relationships when dynamically generating content for viewing. A benefit of the dynamic generation using variables is that templates can be reused across benefits programs by simply changing the variable values for each program. With so many different benefits programs, the system 100 includes processes to limit the benefits programs that a particular participant can view. One of the features provided by the viewing filtering module 209 is filtering benefits programs available to a particular user on an individual basis.
Filtering of Content by a Particular User
For example, the presentation page displayed in the second area 406 includes a content element 409 at the top of the page. The content element 409 is a title indicating to the user what is displayed on the page. In this case, the page includes an overview of the highlighted health plan. The page includes a content element 412 displayed directly under content element 409. The content element 412 is a paragraph describing an overview of the type of health plan selected. Under the content element 412, there is a group of six hyperlinks 415 to move the user quickly to a specific topic within the page. Topics are stored as content elements within the repository 103b. The first topic of the page is summary. The page includes a content element 418 displayed under the summary heading that describes the summary for the participant. As described above, the system 100 can dynamically generate this content element 418 with a template. The page includes a hyperlink 421 to move the user quickly to the one or more content elements describing related information, such as the exemplary content element templates described above.
To determine which benefits programs are displayed in the first area 403 and available to a user to view, the system 100 (e.g., viewing filtering module 209) employs a filtering process.
TABLE 2
Data-
base
Benefit Program
Identifier
HI
ABC Corp. HealthFlex
XX8052HIMedActiveMed100
(106c)
Medical Plan
HI
ABC Corp. HealthFlex
XX8052HIMedCobraMed100
(106c)
Medical Plan
HI
ABC Corp. HMO
XX8052HIMedActiveMed200
(106c)
Medical Plan
HI
ABC Corp. HMO
XX8052HIMedCobraMed200
(106c)
Medical Plan
HRPR
ABC Corp. Bonus Plan -
XX8052HRPRBonusExemptYes
(106d)
Highly Compensated
Employees
HRPR
ABC Corp. Bonus Plan -
XX8052HRPRBonusNonExemptNo
(106d)
Hourly Employees
HRPR
ABC Corp. Bonus Plan -
XX8052HRPRBonusExemptNo
(106d)
Salary Employees
The system 100 also stores (506) mapping rules that instruct the system 100 on how to use retrieved data to generate an access key. For example, the system 100 can use a mapping dictionary that contains the instructions. One exemplary mapping rule in the mapping dictionary for benefits programs in the HI database 106c is “Client∥Practice∥Subject∥Status∥Plan Type∥Plan Code” where the “∥” symbol indicates appending the listed variables to generate an identifier. Another exemplary mapping rule in the mapping dictionary for benefits programs in the HRPR database 106d is “Client∥Practice∥Subject∥Hourly/Salary∥HighlyComp”. The mapping dictionary also includes a variable mapping portion that maps the variables in the mapping rules to the variables used in the system 100. In some examples, a system implements the variable mapping as its own separate dictionary.
When the system 100 receives (509) a request to view content, the system 100 also receives a user identifier for the request. The user identifier is based on the role of the user making the request to view some content. For example, the user can be the participant 112b, requesting the information through the Web server 118. In such an example, the system 100 authenticates (e.g., receives correct user credentials) the participant 112b. One example identifier is the participant's social security number (SSN). The participant may include this identifier as part of the log-in process or the system 100 can retrieve the identifier from a participant database (not shown) based on the user credentials. The participant database can be part of the repository 103b or the participant database can be located external to the benefits guide 103 and accessible to the benefits guide 103 using a Web services paradigm. In another example, the user making the request is the CSS user 121 talking to the participant 112b over the phone network 123. In this example, the CSS user 121 makes the request using the benefits workstation application 125. Again, the request includes some identifier to identify the participant 112b, such as a SSN. The system 100 can determine (e.g., by receiving different parameter values in the requesting URL) whether the request is from the participant 112b using Web server 118 or the CSS user 121 using the benefits workstation 125 and can provide different services depending on the user role. The CSS user 121 may obtain a broader view than what the participant might be able or want to view or the CSS user 121 may select a filtered view to limit the view down to what the participant would see.
In response to the received request, the system 100 retrieves (512) the applicable mapping rule. In order to retrieve (512) the applicable mapping rule, the system may need additional information. In one example, the mapping dictionary is organized by client (e.g., employer), practice (e.g., Health & Welfare (database 106c)), and subject (e.g., medical). In this example, the system 100 uses the participant identifier (e.g., SSN) to determine the client with which this participant is associated. For example, the system 100 receives a SSN 999-99-9999 as an identifier for a participant who is requesting to view a list of benefits programs (e.g., the list in the first area 403 of display 400). The system 100 retrieves from the participant database that this participant is an employee of the client ABC Corp. The system 100 can use an identifier for the client other than the client's name. For example, ABC Corp. can have a client ID of XX8052. Because the request is for a list of all benefits programs, the system 100 searches for all rules associated with ABC Corp. If this was not the case, e.g., if the request was only for a medical plan, the system 100 would narrow the search even further to rules applicable to the health and insurance database 106c, where the subject is medical. The system 100 first finds the rule “Client∥Practice∥Subject∥Status∥Plan Type∥Plan Code” for client ABC Corp. for the HI (106c) practice for medical plans. Using this rule, the system 100 determines that the mapping elements for which the system 100 needs to retrieve values are “Employee Status”, “Plan Type”, and “Plan”. In other words, because this rule is applicable for client ABC Corp. for the HI (106c) practice for medical plans, the system 100 already has values for the mapping elements “Client”, “Practice”, and “Subject”. The system 100 retrieves (515) values for each of these variables that correspond to the participant with a SSN of 999-99-9999. Table 3 shows exemplary values for the participant 999-99-9999.
TABLE 3
SSN:
999-99-9999
Client:
ABC Corp.
Client id:
XX8052
FT/PT:
FT
Hourly/Salary Indicator:
Exempt
Highly Compensated:
Yes
Division Code:
FF
Employee Status:
Active
Plan type code:
Med
Plan Code:
100
Effective Start Date
1/1/02
Effective End Date
99/99/99
Eligible Indicator:
Y
Enrolled Indicator:
Y
The system 100 generates (518) an access key using the mapping rule and the retrieved values. Using Table 3, the system 100 inserts the value “XX8052” for the mapping element “Client”, the value “HI” for the mapping element “Practice”, the value “Med” for the mapping element “Subject”, since the rule is applicable for medical plans, the value “Active” for the mapping element “Status”, the value “Med” for the mapping element “Plan Type”, and the value “100” for the mapping element “Plan Code”. The system 100 appends these values to generate (518) the access key is XX8052HIMedActiveMed100. The system 100 uses the generated access key to determine (521) whether there are any program identifiers that match the access key. Using Table 2 for example, the system 100 determines that there is a match to the ABC Corp. HealthFlex Medical Plan. The system 100 retrieves (524) that matched benefits program from the respective database (e.g., 106c), or at least retrieves its title and other location information, so that the title can be used as a hyperlink in a displayed list (e.g., the first area 403 of the display 400).
The system 100 determines (527) whether there are any additional applicable mapping rules. For example, if the request is to generate a page with an area similar to first area 403 of the display 400, then the system 100 searches for all of the benefits programs in repository 103b associated with the client ABC Corp. In addition to the medical plan, the system 100 finds the rule “Client∥Practice∥Subject∥Hourly/Salary∥HighlyComp” in the mapping dictionary for client ABC Corp. for the HRPR (106d) practice for bonus plans and retrieves (512) this rule. Using this rule, the system 100 determines that the mapping elements for which the system 100 needs to retrieve values are “Hourly/Salary” and “HighlyComp”. The system 100 retrieves (515) values for each of these variables that correspond to the participant with a SSN of 999-99-9999.
The system 100 generates (518) an access key using the mapping rule and the retrieved values. Using Table 3, the system 100 inserts the value “Exempt” for the mapping element “Hourly/Salary” and the value “Yes” for the mapping element “HighlyComp”. The system 100 appends these values to generate (518) the access key is XX8052HRPRBonusExemptYes.
The system 100 uses the generated access key to determine (521) whether there are any program identifiers that match the access key. Using Table 2 for example, the system 100 determines that there is a match to the ABC Corp. ABC Corp. Bonus Plan—Highly Compensated Employees. The system 100 retrieves (524) that matched benefits program from the respective database (e.g., 106d), or at least retrieves its title and other location information, so that the title can be used as a hyperlink in a displayed list (e.g., the first area 403 of the display 400). The system 100 determines (527) whether there are any additional applicable mapping rules. In this example, there are only those two benefits programs for the client ABC Corp. Not finding any additional applicable mapping rules, the system 100 generates (530) the display (e.g., the first area 403 of the display 400) listing the two plans that the participant 999-99-9999 can view.
The two examples of mapping rules and generated access keys used variables that represented characteristics of the participant (e.g., Salary/Hourly indicator, highly compensated indicator) and variables that represented characteristics of the benefits program (e.g., status, plan type, plan code). Tables 4 and 5 include additional examples of both. Table 4 includes additional examples of characteristics of the participants that can be used for generating benefits requirements identifiers, mapping elements used in mapping rules, and variable values used for generating an access key for a participant. For the characteristics of the participant, there may be a one to one relationship or a one to many relationship with the participant identifier (e.g., SSN) and the client. For example, participants may have 401(k) plans with more than one client in the system 100.
TABLE 4
Characteristic
Information Factors
Description & Notes
Client id
Client identifier
SSN
Social Security Number
FT/PT indicator
Full Time, Part Time
Hourly/Salary indicator
Hourly, salary (exempt, non exempt)
Pay class
Geographic Region
Geographic region or state in which person
Work state
works.
State Restriction could apply to STD.
State of Residence
Country
Country restriction could apply to STD.
Company Code
Company to which the person is assigned.
Organization Code
Organization to which the person is assigned.
Division Code
Division to which the person is assigned.
Department Code
Department to which the person is assigned.
Table 5 includes additional examples of characteristics of the benefits programs that can be used for generating benefits requirements identifiers, mapping elements used in mapping rules, and variable values used for generating an access key for a participant. For the characteristics of the benefits programs, there can be a one or many to zero, one, or many relationship with the client and the participant identifier (e.g., SSN). In other words, for each client or participant identifier, there are zero to multiple benefits programs with which that identifier is associated.
TABLE 5
Plan Information Factors
Description & Notes
Program Name
Active, Retiree, Cobra
Program Code
Program Code: ACT, COB, INA, RET
Program ID
Program ID: Numerical unique id
Plan Type Name
Medical, Dental
Plan Type Code
Plan Type Code: ADD, MED, DEN
Plan Type ID
Plan Type ID: Numerical unique id
Plan Name (HOBS)
Harvard, Tufts
Plan Code
Plan Code: 804, 201
Plan ID
Plan ID: Numerical unique id
Option Name (HOBS)
Dependents, Individual + One
Option Code
Option Code: P1, P5
Option ID
Option ID: Numerical unique id
Effective Start Date
Participant plan coverage effective start
date.
Effective End Date
Participant plan coverage effective end
date.
Life Event Date
Life event date contains the annual
Need to confirm other related
enrollment date. The annual enrollment
LE dates on the HOBS the
date would be the next plan
system.
year i.e. 010103.
Annual Enrollment Indicator
Yes or No
Annual Enrollment Date
Date
Prior Plan Year Date
Date
Prior Plan Year Indicator
Yes or No
Eligible Indicator
Yes or No
Enrolled Indicator
Yes or No
Filtering of Content by a Particular Role of a User
In addition to filtering the benefits programs available to view by a participant, the system 100 (e.g., the viewing filtering module 209) can also filter what content is viewed. In one example, the system filters content based on the role of the user viewing the content. As an illustrative example, the participant 112b has accessed her 401(k) plan that the employer provides to initiate a loan. While participant the 112b is attempting to perform this self-help transaction through Web server 115, she is probably not interested in other content about the 401(k) plan not related to taking out a loan. Even more narrowly, she is probably only interested in the content that corresponds to the specific part of the transaction she is performing at that time. For example, when asked to enter an amount for the loan, she would like to know what the rules are (e.g., minimum of $5,000 and maximum of 50%) for her 401(k) plan. If the participant 112b encounters problems or has questions, she may call the CSS user 121. The CSS user 121, to help her resolve her problems and questions, is going to want more of the content than just that related to specific task the participant 112b is performing. For example, the CSS user 121 may want all of the content related to the employer's 401(k) plan that describes taking out a loan, or the CSS user 121 may want the content for the entire 401(k) plan. To accomplish this, the system 100 provides different levels of granularity to view the content of a benefits program.
The system 100 stores the contents of a benefits program as several content elements. Some content elements have relationships to other content elements. The relationships provide a process to the system 100 to determine whether changes to one content element may affect another content element. The system 100 also uses another entity, referred to as a collection, to group content elements together that might be applicable for different roles of users of the system 100. Using the 401(k) plan example, the content elements for the 401(k) have the granularity so that one or a few content elements are used to describe each transaction that a participant can accomplish on their own using user interface 115. If a few content elements are used, the system can make this a collection. For example, the transaction where the participant selects an amount might have three content elements that describe that particular transaction. The system 100 can define (e.g., using a database table) a collection named “Selecting_a_Loan_Amount” that associates the three content elements with that transaction screen. The system 100 can define a larger collection named “Loan_Requirements” that associates all of the content elements that describe the loan process of that 401(k) plan, including the three content elements in the “Selecting_a_Loan_Amount” collection. The system 100 can define nested collections, meaning the “Loan_Requirements” collection can include a reference to the “Selecting_a_Loan_Amount” collection, as an alternative to referencing each of the content elements individually.
If the system 100 determines (621) that the role of the particular user is a not a participant, the system 100 determines (627) whether the role of the particular user is a CSS. If the user is a CSS, then the system 100 filters (624) the collection, for example, based on the help the user is trying to provide. The filtering rule can be that for a particular transaction a participant is attempting, the system 100 transmits (630) the entire collection containing that transaction, such as the entire “Loan_Requirements” collection. If the system 100 determines (627) that the role of the particular user is a not a CSS, the system 100 can step (633) through other roles and apply the predetermined rules established for that role. For example, for a content author, the collection could be filtered by whether that content author is the author of a content element, allowing the content author to view only those content elements in the collection, for which he is an author. The rule for filtering content can also be based on security issues.
In one example implementation, the system 100 uses a Web services paradigm to retrieve and filter content. In such an example, the collections can be transferred between modules using extensible markup language (XML). The content elements and the collections can also be implemented using objects, where object-oriented technology is employed.
3. Changing Content
In addition to enabling users to view the content in the repository 103b, the system 100 also enables the content authors 141 to change the content when problems (e.g., typographical errors) are found and when benefits programs change. When the system 100 is used to provide the content to participants as an outsourced service to a client (e.g., an organization), the system 100 includes benefits programs from a large number of different clients. The system 100 is scalable, so that as the number of clients grows and the content in the repository 103b grows, the number of content authors 141 and the number of transactions they can accomplish can also grow. The features described below enable this scalability.
Multi-user Authoring
The system 100 includes the multi-user authoring module 203 to provide a process to handle multiple authors.
The system 100 provides (718) a user interface to the content author 141 identifying these related content elements and enables the content author 141 to control the access to these related content elements while the content author 141 is making the change. In some examples, the system 100 includes a sub-process 720 that is performed for each of the related content elements. In sub-process 720, the system 100 determines (721) whether the content author making the change wants to check out the related content element. The system 100 can determine (721) this, for example by providing a check box element (e.g., 820,
If the system 100 determines (721) that the content author does not want to check out the related content element, the system 100 determines (728) whether the content author making the change wants to lock the related content element. The system 100 can determine (728) this, for example, by providing (718) a check box element (e.g., 820,
If the system 100 determines (728) that the content author does not want to lock the related content element, the system 100 sets (736) a warning that is associated with the related content element. For example, the system 100 marks the content element in the repository 103b with an indicator so that the system 100 generates a warning when another content author requests to make a change to that related content element. The warning (e.g., 1000,
In the second area 805, the user interface includes four rows 808, 811, 814, and 817—one row for each related content element. Row 808 corresponds to the related component “Domestic partner documents”, row 811 corresponds to the related component “Domestic partner restrictions”, row 814 corresponds to the related component “Domestic partner contact”, and row 817 corresponds to the related variable “Domestic partner eligible”, which is a Boolean variable indicating whether or not a domestic partner is eligible for medical coverage under this plan. Also included in the rows are check boxes 820a-d, generally referred to as 820, that enable the content author changing the component “Domestic Partner” to control access to the related content elements in rows 808, 811, 814, and 817, respectively. In the check boxes 820a-d, the content author can select to lock, to warn, and to check out each of the related content elements.
In the user interface 800, the content author has indicated to the system 100 that he wants to lock the “Domestic partner documents” (e.g., using the selection button in check box 820a) and check out “Domestic partner restrictions” (e.g., using the selection button in check box 820b). Instead of automatically locking or checking out all of the related content elements and preventing access to other content authors, user interface 800 advantageously enables the content author to prevent access. This way, the content author, who knows what the scope of the change is, can lock only those content elements that the content author knows should be locked due to the particular change. Similarly, the content author only checks out those content elements that he needs to check out to make corresponding changes. In the user interface 800, the content author has indicated to the system 100 that he wants to set a warning for the “Domestic partner contact” content element (e.g., using the selection button in check box 820c) and the “Domestic partner eligible” content element (e.g., using the selection button in check box 820d). This leaves those content elements available to other content authors, so that other content authors can change those content elements in parallel (e.g., simultaneously).
For the related content elements that the content author checks out, the system 100 can generate a recursive popup window (e.g., another user interface 800) for each included item that is also checked out. In the example above, the system 100 can spawn another window for the “Domestic partner restrictions” component. If the content author makes modifications to one of the included variables or components, the system 100 allows the content author to check them in separately. The system 100 tracks the content elements as a single group to ensure that at the end, the content author checks in all of the related content elements. In one example, when the content author checks in the original component (e.g., “Domestic Partner”), the system 100 generates an auto check in window (not shown) that requires the author to check in the items (e.g., any related content elements) not previously checked in. At this time, all locked content elements are also marked as unlocked.
Access Control Based on a Particular Role of a User
Similar to the controlling the viewing of content based on user roles described above, the system 100 can also control the changing and Web-based delivery of content based on user role. User access for changing content and user access for viewing the content delivery through a Web browser can be configured separately.
The system 100 can define a content author role indicating a restriction to a specific practice, such as content author HI, which indicates a restriction to the HI database 106c and the HI benefits programs content in the centralized database 106e. The system 100 can define a content author role indicating a restriction to a specific client, such as content author ABC Corp., which indicates a restriction to benefits programs associated with the client ABC Corp. A user is associated with a defined user role, for example, indirectly by associating a role name with one or more user groups (e.g., using NT groups or LDAP groups) and/or directly by associating a role name with the user directly (e.g., using user IDs).
For these roles, and any other that can be defined, the system 100 generates the exemplary user interfaces in
Restricting access to change content based on the factors above advantageously allows the system 100 to have content changes placed as close to the origin of the change as possible (i.e., in the hands of the “content owner”). For example, phone center senior representatives (e.g., a CSS user 121) are aware of and/or responsible for the contact information like telephone hours and hours of service. The system 100 can enable this using restrictions on multiple levels of objects within the system, including employer restrictions (e.g.,
In some examples, to incorporate a change (e.g., 2721, 2724, 2727), the content is transferred from a centralized database to a local database associated with the user incorporating the change. For example, a portion of the database is instantiated locally on a computing device associated with the user so the user can access the source of the content and make the necessary changes. In such examples, the changes have to be moved back to the centralized database accessible to all users so that the process 2700 can be completed. An author 141 can also incorporate a change (e.g., 2721, 2727) by making changes directly within the centralized database.
In examples where the workflow process 218 is a process external to the content management module 103a, the system 100 uses the quality control module 206 to serve as an interface between the database management and the workflow process, to ensure that changes are automatically processed when a user completes a modification. The quality control module 206 generates a user interface that enables the user making the change to notify the quality control module 206 that the change is completed and ready to be moved back into the centralized database so that the change can be tested (2730) by quality assurance (QA) and moved (2730) to production. For example, the user making the change transfers the modified content to a submit location (e.g., a submit database 3115,
Indicating Pending Changes to Content
With the processes described above, the system 100 can have pending changes to content that is being viewed (e.g., by a CSS user 121 helping a participant). To give the user viewing the content a more complete picture, the system 100 indicates in the generated view that a change is currently pending for that particular content element.
The mainframe 3003 includes an integrated database (IDB) 3006, which is a general information database. The IDB 3006 is in communication with the benefits guide 103, if it is not part of the repository 103b. The IDB 3006 can include information such as participant information, high-level plan relationship information, client configurations, etc. In the system 3000, the IDB 3006 also includes information about pending changes so that the system 100 can quickly retrieve the pending change information whenever the system 100 is generating content for viewing that has a pending change.
The workflow process 218 includes a workflow process interface module 3015 that allows the BG 103 to retrieve information from the workflow process 218 corresponding to certain work items that the workflow process 218 is handling. For example, the workflow process interface module 3015 can include an API that allows the retrieval of data. The workflow process 218 is configured to assign work items to certain queues based on a set of rules. The workflow process 218 includes a communication and education (C&E) queue 3018, a back office queue 3021, a SDS queue 3024, a SIG queue 3027, and a BG operator queue 3030. The workflow process 218 uses the C&E queue 3018 for work items to be handled by the content authors 141. The workflow process 218 uses the back office queue 3021 for work items to be handled by back office personnel (e.g., document scanners). The workflow process 218 uses the SDS queue 3024 for work items to be handled by the SDS users 131. The workflow process 218 uses the service installation group (SIG) queue 3027 for work items to be handled by SIG users (e.g., SIG users are responsible for configuration of DC plan data in BG and in the record keeping system).
The BG operator queue 3030 is not for any particular users, but is used by the BG 103 to keep track of work items related to the pending changes of content in the BG repository 103b. The workflow process 218 has a set of rules to determine when work items going to the other queues (e.g., 3018, 3021, 3024, and/or 3027) should be copied and sent to the BG queue 3030. For example, if the other queues 3018, 3021, 3024, and/or 3027 always deal with work items changing content only in the BG repository 103b, then the rule can be to simply copy each work item to the BG queue 3030 as the work item enters into one of the other queues 3018, 3021, 3024, and/or 3027. If there are other areas the workflow process 218 is used for, then the rule can be more sophisticated and look at values of certain parameters of the work item to determine if that work item relates to the BG repository 103b. For example, the rule can be to obtain the value the source of content being changed and if that value is one of the databases in the repository 103b (e.g., 106a, 106b, 106c, and/or 106d), then the workflow process 218 copies that particular work item to the BG queue 3030.
The BG 103 includes a BG work item servlet 3040 and a delete listener 3043 to keep track of the work items sent to the BG queue 3030. The BG work item servlet 3040 and the delete listener 3043 can be, for example, included in the pending change indication module 212. By having the BG queue 3030, the BG work item servlet 3040 and the delete listener 3043 advantageously only have to monitor a single queue. When a new work item enters the BG queue 3030, the servlet 3040 obtains some data needed for the change indication and copies that data to the IDB 3006. Table 6 illustrates an example of the data the servlet 3040 obtains from the workflow process 218 (e.g., using interface module 218) and transfers to IDB 3006 for storage as long as the work item is open.
TABLE 6
Data Element
Variable type
Definition
ITEM_TYPE_CODE
CHAR(6)
Work item type code
defined by the
workflow process 218
CLNT_ID_N
INTEGER
IDB Client ID number
PROD_ID_C
CHAR(2)
Product ID code
BENF_GUID_PLAN_NM
VARCHAR(255)
Benefits Guide plan
name
SUBJ_C
CHAR(50)
Benefits Guide subject
code
PAGE_ID_X
VARCHAR(255)
Benefits Guide page
ID
SCTN_X
VARCHAR(255)
Benefits Guide page
section name
WORK_ITEM_ID
DECIMAL(12)
Work item number
STAT_C
CHAR(6)
Work item status code
The work item type code (i.e., parameter “ITEM_TYPE_CODE”) is a parameter that the workflow process rule can use when determining whether to send the work item to the BG queue 3030. For example, all work item related to the benefits guide 103 can have a value of “OPTREQ” for this parameter and in that case, that value would trigger a copy. Similarly, the product ID code (i.e., parameter “PROD_ID_C”) is a parameter that the workflow process rule can use when determining whether to send the work item to the BG queue 3030. For example, the value for this parameter is the database in which the source is stored. All work items related to the benefits guide 103 can have a value of DB, DC, HI, and PR.
These parameters also identify the specific content elements that are being changed by the work item. The parameters identify the plan name, subject code, page ID, and section name. When the system 100 is generated content for viewing, the system 100 queries the IDB 3006 to find out if there are any parameters with the same values of the content being generated. If there is a match, the system 100 applies the pending change indication at the appropriate section in the displayed page.
Workflow process 218A closes a work item when the change has been tested and put into production (e.g., the change has been incorporated into the repository 103b). Workflow process 218A can also close a work item when it is not desired, for example, when a user (e.g., a CSM user 134) does not authorize the change because the change is not necessary or incompatible in some way with a client's instructions. As a work item is closed, the delete listener 3043 deletes the values for that work item from the IDB 3006. In one example, the delete listener 3043 periodically (e.g., at a period set by configuration) checks the status of the work items in the BG queue 3030 to determine if any of them have changed to a closed status (e.g., status code=RESOLV). Using these processes, the data in the IDB 3006 represents the currently pending changes in the workflow process 218, with a tolerance of the period set by the configuration. The system 100 simply has to query the IDB 3006 to obtain a quick indication of whether a particular page/section in the generated display has an associated change currently pending.
For example, using the screen shot 2800 (
TABLE 7
Data Element
Variable value
ITEM_TYPE_CODE
OPTREQ
CLNT_ID_N
XX8052
PROD_ID_C
HR
BENF_GUID_PLAN_NM
ABC Corp's 401(k) Plan For Salaried
Employees
SUBJ_C
Retirement Savings
PAGE_ID_X
HRPR_401k_payout
SCTN_X
Approval
WORK_ITEM_ID
123456654321
STAT_C
INPROC
TABLE 8
Data Element
Variable value
ITEM_TYPE_CODE
OPTREQ
CLNT_ID_N
XX8052
PROD_ID_C
HR
BENF_GUID_PLAN_NM
ABC Corp's 401(k) Plan For Salaried
Employees
SUBJ_C
Retirement Savings
PAGE_ID_X
HRPR_401k_payout
SCTN_X
Approval
WORK_ITEM_ID
123456655555
STAT_C
INPROC
As the system 100 processes the request to generate the display of screen shot 2800, the system 100 determines (or has already determined) that the content needed is for client number XX8052, the content is stored in the HRPR database 106d, the name of the plan is ABC Corp's 401(k) Plan For Salaried Employees, the subject is Retirement Savings, and the page being requested is defined using the template HRPR—401k_payout. While generating the page to be displayed, the system queries the IDB 3006 and the IDB returns the data in Tables 7 and 8. Using this returned data, the system 100 adds a pending change indicator when generating the section “Approval” in the display in screen shot 2800.
When the indicator 2803 is selected by the user viewing the content, the system 100 displays a description window describing the pending changes. To perform this part, the system 100 uses the work item IDs that were returned in response to the query (e.g., 123456654321 and 123456655555). The system 100 uses the work item identifiers to obtain a description directly from the workflow process 218 (e.g., using an API). With the unique IDs for the specific work items, searching the work items through the workflow process 218 can be efficient and quick. This process advantageously allows the description to be changed as needed as the work item is moved in the workflow process 218 and enables the system 100 to display the most current description available. Further, when the work item is closed, the system 100 no longer displays the pending change indicator on the page, as the data is removed from the IDB 3006 and nothing returned on subsequent queries.
In other examples, alternatives to the system 3000 are used to implement indicating the pending changes. Some of these alternatives are described now only as illustrative examples and not to limit the alternatives in any way. For example, as an alternative to the BG queue 3030, the BG work item servlet 3040 and the delete listener 3043 can monitor each queue (3018, 3021, 3024, and 3027) individually and apply rule logic similar to the rules described above to determine whether the data (e.g., Table 6) for a work item should be transferred to the IDB 3006 while the work item is pending. The BG queue 3030 can be moved so that all of the work items flow through the BG queue 3030 first and the BG queue 3030 transfers the work items to the other appropriate queues (e.g., 3018, 3021, 3024, and/or 3027). The description for the change can be stored in the IDB 3006. This advantageously eliminates the need for the system 100 to query the workflow process 218 when generating a description of the changes. This requires that the description in the IDB be updated when it is changed in the workflow process 218.
Quality Control
The system 100 includes the quality control module 206 to track and control the movement of changes through the system 100. The quality control module 206 can have its own associated database (not shown) to keep information that the quality control module 206 uses in controlling quality of the process. Such information can include, for example, the work item identifier (e.g., the unique ID), the subject of the content being changed, the date and time information of the change request, the type of the content, the status of the change request, the owner of the change request, and a brief description of the change request. The information can also include the availability of the content, such as whether the content is in the centralized database available to be checked out or is already checked out by another user making a change. The quality control module 206 generates a user interface that displays this information and can be used to enable users to enter and/or update this information. In some examples where the same data is used by the QCDB (206) and the workflow process (218), that information can be automatically passed between the two (e.g., changes in status).
The process 3100 also has a location division that includes a local database 3112, a submit database 3115, a centralized database 3118, a QA database 3121, an ACP database 3124, and a production database 3127. These databases are used to move the changed content through the change process to different groups of users involved with the process 3100. Although the process 3100 uses databases, in other examples, the locations are not databases, but particular file locations on a network to which the changes can be stored as they move through the change process. Further, other examples may not use as many individual locations. For example, the local database 3112 and the submit database 3115 can be combined into the centralized database 3118, the QA database 3121 can be combined with the ACP database 3124, or there can be a single centralized database from which all users access the changes.
An author making a change to content checks out (3130) the content that she is modifying. In the process 3100, checking out (3130) the content includes transferring the content from the centralized database 3118 to the local database 3112 associated with that author. As described above, when an author is done making the changes to the content, she transfers (3133) the content to the submit database 3115 and changes a status (e.g., in the workflow process 218 or the quality control module 206, which can automatically update the workflow process 218) to “Content Submitted”. When the author changes the status, the system 100 checks in (3136) the changed content, which includes transferring the changed content from the submit database 3115 to the centralized database 3118. When the content is checked in (3136), the systems user verifies that the content objects identified to be moved exist in the database in the location specified (e.g., if manual entry is involved, verify there are no mistakes). If this verification fails (3139), the changed content is flagged as failed (e.g., the value of a parameter associated with the change is marked failed, or the system failed).
If the systems verification passes, then the systems user changes (3142) the status of the changed content to a status representing the change content is ready for QA verification. When the systems user changes the status, the system 100 queues and transfers the changed content from the centralized database 3118 to the QA database 3121. Content elements have relationships to other content elements. The relationship can be, for example, that certain content elements are included in other content elements. In other examples, the relationship can be that all of the content elements are part of the same subject, such as all the content elements related to the subject “air travel” for a particular policy. A group relationship can also be multiple change requests to the same content element.
The system 100 moves the changed content and the related content (e.g., all of the content elements for the same subject) as a group to the QA database 3121. This advantageously allows a QA user to see the changed content in context with related content elements to ensure that the change does not inadvertently affect one of the related content elements. Further, since the system 100 allows different authors to work on related content elements, this advantageously allows a QA user to the different changes to related content to ensure that the different changes do not inadvertently conflict with each other. When reviewing the group of related content elements, if the QA user determines that all of the content elements are acceptable, the QA user indicates (3145) that each of the content elements in the related group passes QA verification. In that case, the QA user changes (3148) the status of each of the changed content elements to a status (e.g., QA Verified) representing the changed content is ready for ACP verification. When the QA user changes the status, the system 100 queues and transfers the changed content from the QA database 3121 to the ACP database 3124.
If the QA user determines that one or more of the content elements are not acceptable, the QA user indicates (3151) which of the content elements in the related group fails QA verification. In that case, some of the content elements are marked as passed (e.g., their status is changed to “QA Verified”) and some of the content elements are marked as failed (e.g., their status is changed to “QA Failed”). If one of the content elements of the group of related content elements is marked as failed, then the default is that the system 100 does not transfer any of the content elements in that group to the next location (i.e., the ACP database 3124). The system 100 includes an override process that enables the content elements of the group that are marked as passed (e.g., “QA Verified”) to be transferred.
In one example, the user interface generated by the quality control module 206 described above includes a listing of the group of content elements and the status (e.g., “QA Verified” or “QA Failed”). The listing includes an element (e.g., a check box) that enables a QA user to override the restriction of not allowing any content element in the group to progress in the process 3100. For a change to a content element that has passed (e.g., “QA Verified”), the user selects a checkbox with the status “QA Override” to indicate to the system 100 that this passed content element can be moved independently from the group. A user may override the group restriction when, for example, the passed content element does not have an object dependency with the content element that has failed. The user interface displays an indicator (e.g., a yellow check mark) next to the status (e.g., “QA Verified”) of the content element that has passed. This indicator identifies that this content element has been overridden and allowed to progress through the process 3100 without one of its related content elements from the group. The system 100 can impose a security restriction, for example, allowing only those users who are associated with a QA approver role to be able to access the override check box and select it.
When a user selects an override, the system 100 determines (3154) that that particular content element can be split from the group and moved (3157) to the next approval stage (e.g., ACP verification). The system 100 transfers (3160) those content elements that have failed (e.g., their status is “QA Failed”) back to the centralized database 3118 and notifies the author (e.g., by sending an email) that the change has failed and needs to be modified.
If the QA verification passes, then the group (3145) or those individual content elements that have been overridden (3157) are transferred (3148) to the ACP database 3124 and are ready for ACP verification. The ACP user verifies each of the content elements and indicates whether the ACP verification has passed (3163) (e.g., sets the status to “ACP Verified”) or failed (3166) (e.g., sets the status to “ACP Failed”). For failure conditions, the ACP user can differentiate between a critical failure (e.g., the change to the content element is incorrect) and a non-critical failure (e.g., the change contains a typographical error). The status of a non-critical failure can be indicated as “ACP Failed Non-Critical”.
Similar to the QA override, the user interface generated by the quality control module 206 includes a listing of the group of content elements and the status (e.g., “ACP Verified”, “ACP Failed” or “ACP Failed Non-Critical”). The listing includes an element (e.g., a check box) that enables an ACP user to override a non-critical failure and allow the failed content element to progress in the process 3100. The system 100 uses the check box selection to determine (3169) whether an ACP failure can be overridden. For a change to a content element that has a non-critical failure (e.g., “ACP Failed Non-Critical”), the user selects a checkbox with the status “ACP Failed Non-Critical Manager Approval” to indicate to the system 100 that this failed content element can be moved into production even though there is an associated failure. An ACP user may override the failure when, for example, the content element has some important changes in it, such as a new requirement, which outweigh the reason it failed, such as an identified typographical error. The user interface displays an indicator (e.g., a green check mark) next to the status (e.g., “ACP Failed Non-Critical Manager Approval”) of the content element that has failed. This indicator identifies that this content element has been overridden and allowed to progress through the process 3100 even though it has a failure. The system 100 can impose a security restriction, for example, allowing only those users who are associated with an ACP approver role to be able to access the override check box and select it.
After the overridden failed content element goes through the production cycle (3170), the system 100 does not close out the change request. Instead, the system 100 changes the indicator (e.g., green check mark) to a different indicator (e.g., a red check mark) to indicate to the author that the change has gone through production but has an ACP failure that must be addressed before the change request can be closed. The system 100 can automatically notify the author (e.g., by sending an email) that the change has been through production and needs to be addressed before the change request can be closed. In some examples, the system 100 notifies the applicable users each time a status changes and/or a change is transferred from one database to another. This automatic notification advantageously allows the applicable users to become aware of the changes without periodically having to check the quality control module 206 (e.g., using the user interface generated by the quality control module 206).
The above-described processes can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. The implementation can be as a computer program product, i.e., a computer program tangibly embodied in an information carrier, e.g., in a machine-readable storage device or in a propagated signal, for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple computers. A computer program can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.
Method steps can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing a computer program to perform functions of the invention by operating on input data and generating output. Method steps can also be performed by, and apparatus can be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Modules can refer to portions of the computer program and/or the processor/special circuitry that implements that functionality.
Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. Data transmission and instructions can also occur over a communications network. Information carriers suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in special purpose logic circuitry.
To provide for interaction with a user, the above described processes can be implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by which the user can provide input to the computer (e.g., interact with a user interface element). Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.
The above described processes can be implemented in a distributed computing the system that includes a back-end component, e.g., as a data server, and/or a middleware component, e.g., an application server, and/or a front-end component, e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface and/or a Web browser through which a user can interact with an example implementation, or any combination of such back-end, middleware, or front-end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples of communication networks include a local area network (“LAN”) and a wide area network (“WAN”), e.g., the Internet, and include both wired and wireless networks.
The computing the system can include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other.
The invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments. The alternatives described herein are examples for illustration only and not to limit the alternatives in any way. The steps of the invention can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
Politano, Remo, Gifford, Doug, Doyle, Judy
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